This invention relates to solar collectors and more particularly to a thin-line-non-focusing concentrating solar collector.
Flat plat solar collectors of numerous different designs are known in the art. These prior art devices generally include one or more plates of glass or plastic that are mounted in a frame. The collectors are generally heat insulated to prevent heat losses. As a result the prior art flat plate solar collectors are large bulky devices.
Another type of prior art solar collectors are the concentrating type collectors that use some method of focusing the solar energy. For example, one type of prior art focusing collectors uses a parabola to focus the solar energy.
This invention provides a concentrating solar collector without focusing. Further, the solar collector of the invention is made up of a plurality of individual modules or collectors that are small in size, light weight and therefore easily transported.
The thin-line collectors of this invention provide a concentration ratio of about 2:1, do not require glazing or back insulation, hermetic sealing is not required, and tracking of the sun is not required. In addition, the solar collectors of this invention provide good efficiency due to minimum heat loss areas, the efficiency is relatively independent of ambient temperature, and are suitable for both thermal and photovoltaic applications.